Chapter Summaries

Qin Lian died after slaying Blood Demon Zuo Qiudao, then awoke in his own body with memories of a modern life and discovered his injuries had healed. As he tested his grandmaster strength and considered a golden cultivation gift, visitors arrived at Dragon Abyss Mountain to pay their respects.

• Qin Daozhi vowed to protect the Qin family after Qin An told him the clan head was near death, while Qin Lingzhi stayed to care for Qin Lian.
• Qin Lian stopped breathing, but returned to life when Qin Lingzhi's sobbing roused him; he realized he had inherited memories of a modern life.
• Qin Lian recalled how his predecessor had killed Blood Demon Zuo Qiudao with the Blood-Burning Sword Art and severely damaged his foundations.
• Qin Lian found that he could wield true qi and demonstrated extraordinary strength, speed, and jumping ability in the courtyard.
• Qin Lian discovered a golden light that rewarded perfected martial arts with supernatural gifts and resolved to reach the pinnacle of cultivation.
• Wu Li, Xie Yushi, and Wang Gang arrived with gifts and offerings to visit the injured Patriarch Qin.

Qin Lian emerged in good health to confront the Canglang Sword Sect, the Taibai Xie Family, and the Dragon River Gang, whose representatives had come to test the Qin Family while believing him gravely injured. He drove them away with his presence and claimed he had feigned his injury to draw out threats, leaving Qin An astonished and uncertain about what he had witnessed.

• Qin Lian realized the visiting powers might be probing the Qin Family because they believed he was near death, then decided to show himself and discourage them.
• Qin Lian strode through the Qin Family compound as its members greeted him with respect, while Qin Lingzhi followed him.
• Wu Li, Xie Yushi, and Wang Gang pressured Qin An to let them see Qin Lian and suggested Qin An might be seizing power.
• A Qin Family member announced that Qin Lian had arrived, and the visitors fell silent when they saw him alive and well.
• Qin Lian ordered the visitors to leave with their gifts, and they departed without resistance.
• Qin Lian told Qin An he had feigned his injury to lure hidden threats into revealing themselves, leaving Qin An shocked.

At Swallow Tower, Zhou Tianji persuaded the Xie, Wang, and Wu families that Qin Lian was nearing death, and they agreed to attack the Qin Family in ten days. Back on Dragon Abyss Mountain, Qin Lian discovered that the golden light in his mind revealed his progress in every martial skill and cultivation method—and that his mastery would never regress.

• At Swallow Tower, Zhou Tianji told Xie Yushi, Xie Baoyu, Wang Gang, and Wu Li that Qin Lian's injuries would kill him and argued that his mild behavior showed weakness.
• Xie Yushi and the other family representatives concluded that Qin Lian was failing, and Wu Li proposed that their three families attack in ten days.
• Zhou Tianji welcomed the planned attack, which served the Commandery Governor's Office's goal of eliminating Qin Lian.
• On Dragon Abyss Mountain, Qin Lian explored his courtyard and practiced the Five Elements Fist, earning a point of root bone from the golden light.
• Qin Lian practiced the original owner's other martial arts and cultivation methods, discovering that the golden light showed his progress and that his mastery would never regress.

Qin Lian practiced martial arts for three days and discovered that perfecting three compatible sword arts awakened the Swiftness trait, which doubled his speed. After resting, he looked out over Dragon Abyss Mountain and accepted this world as the new starting point of his life.

• Qin Lian perfected the Five Elements Breathing Method and Dragon-Capturing Hand, raising his Root Bone to the top-tier value of 50.
• Qin Lian perfected the Shadow-Sweeping, Rushing Thunder, and Shocking Swan Sword Arts, merging their Swiftness traits into an ability that doubled his sword speed and movement speed.
• Qin Lian found that the Pure Yang Qi Refining Art and Blood-Burning Sword Art remained short of perfection, so he continued studying them alongside other advanced methods.
• Qin Lingzhi warned Qin Lian that he had practiced for three days and three nights, and Qin Lian finally stopped to rest.
• Qin Lian woke to fog over Dragon Abyss Mountain, ate breakfast, and reflected that the mountain marked a new starting point for his life.

Qin Lian learned that the Canglang Sword Sect and Dragon River Gang were gathering forces, emboldened by his apparent weakness, and concluded that a fight was unavoidable. He requested intelligence on both groups and prepared to defend the Qin family himself.

• Qin Lian left his courtyard and heard that Qin Daozhi had forged True Qi, making him the Qin family's second True Qi Realm expert.
• Qin Lian decided to hand family matters to Qin An rather than keep the position of family head for himself.
• Qin An and the elders told Qin Lian that the Canglang Sword Sect had recalled its disciples and elders, while the Dragon River Gang was gathering personnel.
• Qin Lian learned that the factions mistook his restraint for weakness because he had let them leave after probing the Qin family.
• Qin Lian rejected the suggestion to flee to the Pure Yang Sword Sect and asked for intelligence on the Canglang Sword Sect and Dragon River Gang.

Qin Lian decided to strike the Canglang Sword Sect before it could join forces with the Dragon River Gang, planning to defeat their experts through overwhelming strength rather than slaughter their thousands of members. He reached Canglang Mountain ahead of the Qin Family fighters and challenged the sect to stop him.

• After learning the Canglang Sword Sect and Dragon River Gang had thousands of members, Qin Lian ordered the Qin Family to assemble and planned to attack the Canglang Sword Sect first.
• Qin Lian gave Qin Lingzhi a letter instructing Qin An to lead the assembled fighters after him, while claiming he could defeat both forces alone.
• Qin An read the letter and led nearly a hundred Qin Family fighters toward the Canglang Sword Sect, alerting other forces as they rode out.
• Qin Lian reached the Canglang Sword Sect ahead of the Qin Family and resolved to crush its graded experts so its ordinary members would not dare seek revenge.
• Qin Lian called out Wu Meng and Ning Chuan, threatened to destroy the Canglang Sword Sect, and strode up the mountain steps.

Qin Lian stormed Canglang Mountain to destroy the Canglang Sword Sect and killed Sect Master Wu Meng and another elder in a swift attack. As the sect’s people reeled from his strength, Qin Lian reflected on the heights cultivation might let him reach and decided to finish the fight quickly.

• Qin Lian arrived at Canglang Mountain, and the Canglang Sword Sect’s disciples panicked and fled as he climbed toward its center.
• Ning Chuan urged Wu Meng and the elders to deploy the Canglang Sword Formation, and Wu Meng ordered the sect’s fighters to form up.
• Qin Lian attacked before the formation could be assembled, using the Swiftness attribute to bypass Wu Meng’s defense and kill him with the Azure Firmament sword.
• Qin Lian broke free of Ning Chuan’s sword attack and killed a True Qi realm elder after shattering the elder’s sword.
• Qin Lian marveled at the power of cultivation and resolved to kill the remaining members of the Canglang Sword Sect quickly.

Qin Lian slaughtered his way through the Canglang Sword Sect after its members fought back, leaving most of its ranked experts dead or fleeing. As he resolved to reach the third rank, Qin An and over a hundred Qin Family riders arrived at the foot of the mountain.

• Ning Chuan tried to organize the Canglang Sword Sect's sword formation, but Qin Lian killed him before it could be completed.
• Qin Lian killed Wu Li and continued cutting down the sect's elders as they realized their attack on the Qin Family had brought disaster upon them.
• The sect's stewards and disciples lost their nerve and fled after seeing Qin Lian overwhelm even its strongest fighters.
• Qin Lian spent about an hour fighting across Canglang Mountain, killing roughly eighty to a hundred experts and eliminating everyone of the sixth rank or above.
• Qin Lian concluded that he could now defeat Zuo Qiudao without risking his life, but he still needed to break through to the third rank.
• Qin An arrived at the foot of the mountain with over a hundred Qin Family riders.

Qin Lian destroyed the Canglang Sword Sect and led the Qin Family to the Dragon River Gang, whose leaders had already fled. After Qin Lian told Qin An to manage the family while he pursued cultivation, a messenger from Prefect Qi arrived seeking mediation over the slaughter.

• Qin Lian ordered Qin An and the Qin Family riders to clear the Canglang Sword Sect's battlefield and hurry to the Dragon River Gang.
• Qin Ping, Qin Lie, and the remaining disciples inspected the mountain and were astonished by the scale of Qin Lian's victory.
• On the ride to Longjiang Wharf, Qin Lian told Qin An he planned to step down as family head after destroying the Dragon River Gang and Xie Lineage, and entrusted Qin An with family affairs.
• Qin Lian found the Dragon River Gang's headquarters deserted, learned that Long Ao, Wang Gang, and the other leaders had fled, and questioned deputy hall master Xue Ren about their cowardice.
• Qin An reported that Prefect Qi had sent an emissary to seek mediation and ask Qin Lian to restrain his power.

After Qin Lian destroyed the Canglang Sword Sect, he sent Qin An to negotiate with the Commandery Governor’s Office and demand cultivation resources from the factions that had opposed the Qin Family. The Dragon River Gang, Xie Lineage, and Li Family agreed to pay twenty bottles of Qi Refining Pills, while the Commandery Governor’s Office pushed them to bear the cost.

• Qin Lian told Qin An to negotiate with the Commandery Governor’s Office, seeking True Condensation Pills or Qi Refining Pills instead of silver.
• Qin An left to negotiate as Qin Feng organized the relocation of supplies, with Qin Lian remaining to protect the Qin Family.
• At Swallow Tower, Xie Yushi, Xie Baoyu, Zhou Tianji, Li Hui, Wang Gang, and Long Ao reacted in fear to the Canglang Sword Sect’s destruction and demanded that the Commandery Governor’s Office resolve the crisis.
• Zhou Tianji said the governor had sent someone to mediate, blamed the factions for their failed plan, and told them to handle the negotiations themselves.
• The Qin Family demanded twenty bottles of Qi Refining Pills from the factions, and the Xie Lineage, Dragon River Gang, and Li Family divided the cost by supplying ten, six, and four bottles respectively.

After securing the spoils from the Dragon River Gang and Canglang Sword Sect, Qin Lian handed the Qin Family leadership to Qin An so he could focus on cultivation. He then received visitors from the Pure Yang Sword Sect, who brought news that Jiang Xin would become Cloudmist Peak’s new peak master.

• Qin An reported the Qin Family’s gains from the Dragon River Gang, and Qin Lian led the family back to Dragon Abyss Mountain with their spoils.
• The Canglang Sword Sect’s supplies arrived, and Qin Lian gathered the family to announce that Qin An would become family head while he joined the Council of Elders as Grand Elder.
• Qin Lian announced that he was changing the character in his name from “Lian” meaning “practice” to “refine,” then handed the meeting over to Qin An.
• Chu Ying and Jiang Yi arrived from the Pure Yang Sword Sect, with Chu Ying bringing Nine Suns Returning Heaven Pills for Qin Lian and Jiang Yi dismissing the need for them.
• Chu Ying told Qin Lian that Jiang Xin had broken through and would succeed their master as Cloudmist Peak’s peak master at a ceremony in one month.

Qin Lian received the Pure Yang Sword Sect’s summons to attend the Succession Ceremony and tried to delay his departure while cultivating. After visitors arrived with the updated Grandmaster Ranking, he learned he had become a Heaven Ranking Grandmaster.

• Chu Ying and Jiang Yi visited Qin Lian to announce the Succession Ceremony and ask about his recovery after killing Zuo Qiudao.
• Qin Lian said he had been reborn after surviving the Blood-Burning Sword Art and promised to attend the ceremony, though he asked the two visitors to wait while he handled Qin Family affairs.
• Qin Yue explained that Qin Lian had stepped down as Patriarch to focus on cultivation and had changed his name to reflect his ambition to reach Second Grade Divine Intent.
• Qin Lian returned to his courtyard and resumed practicing the Blood-Burning Sword Art while Chu Ying and Jiang Yi watched from nearby without disturbing him.
• Thirteen days after Chu Ying and Jiang Yi arrived, visitors from the Pure Yang Sword Sect announced that Qin Lian had ascended to the Heaven Ranking.

Qin Lian learned that killing Blood Demon Zuo Qiudao and defeating the Canglang Sword Sect had earned him a place on Great Shang’s Grandmaster Heaven Ranking. He worried the title would attract challengers and disrupt his cultivation, but the group prepared to return to Cloudmist Peak as Chu Ying realized the honor might complicate Liu Xu’s succession as peak master.

• Lu Shun and Wei Yang congratulated Qin Lian on entering the Grandmaster Heaven Ranking, and Xu Qingsong explained the privileges the title granted.
• Qin Lian learned that the Heavenly Scripture Tower had ranked him for slaying Blood Demon Zuo Qiudao and later defeating the Canglang Sword Sect, but he feared the attention and tried to decline.
• Xu Qingsong, Jiang Yi, and Chu Ying rejected Qin Lian’s offer to yield the title, while Chu Ying and Wei Yang attributed his victory to perfecting the Blood-Burning Sword Art.
• Jiang Yi suggested the title’s resources could help Qin Lian reach Second Grade Divine Intent, and Qin Lian said he still intended to cultivate in seclusion.
• The group agreed to return to Cloudmist Peak for the approaching Succession Ceremony, and Chu Ying wondered whether Qin Lian’s new status would make Liu Xu’s succession as peak master inappropriate.

Qin Lian and his companions traveled to Shouyang Mountain, the headquarters of the Pure Yang Sword Sect, where his achievement of entering the Grandmaster Heaven Ranking drew admiration. As they arrived, Martial Uncle Zhan Yi escorted Qin Lian to Pure Yang Hall to meet the sect master and other leaders.

• Qin Lian and his companions rode north toward Shouyang Mountain while Elder Wei Yang stayed behind to build ties with Qin Lian’s family.
• The party encountered thousands of refugees fleeing fighting between factions of the Tyrant Blade Sect in Yi Province, and Lu Shun said the Pure Yang Sword Sect would wait for the rival sect to weaken.
• Qin Lian wondered whether Emperor Yin Xin’s long silence after conquering Dongyi signaled another campaign, but chose to avoid complications and continue toward Dragon Lake Commandery.
• Disciples and local powers welcomed Qin Lian’s party through Dragon Lake Commandery, and they reached Shouyang Mountain after three days.
• Disciples on the mountain admired Qin Lian as the newest Grandmaster Heaven Ranking member, and Zhan Yi escorted him to Pure Yang Hall at the sect master’s invitation.

After becoming a Heaven Ranking Grandmaster, Qin Lian agreed to establish a sect in Mount Tai Prefecture with the Pure Yang Sword Sect’s support, while remaining focused on cultivation. He accepted a place on the Council of Elders and the post of Library Pavilion Master, then named his new sect the Taibai Sword Sect.

• Qin Lian arrived at Pure Yang Hall, where the sect master and peak and hall masters congratulated him on reaching the Heaven Ranking.
• Li Wangxu offered Qin Lian the resources and support to establish a sect, and Qin Lian considered the benefits of gaining access to the sect’s cultivation inheritances.
• Qin Lian chose Mount Tai Prefecture as the site of his sect, and Li Wangxu offered to claim Taibai Mine Mountain and share its Taibai Refined Gold.
• Qin Lian agreed to establish the sect but declined a major leadership role, asking instead for a position that would give him access to the sect’s books and cultivation methods.
• Li Wangxu appointed Qin Lian to the Council of Elders and as temporary Pavilion Master of the Library Pavilion, and Qin Lian named his new sect the Taibai Sword Sect.

Qin Lian returned to Cloudmist Peak as a Heaven Ranking grandmaster and reunited with its peak master, Yuan Tianhe, and fellow disciples. After the peak honored his achievement and discussed his new role as Library Pavilion master, Qin Lian left for the main peak to begin his duties.

• Yuan Tianhe escorted Qin Lian to Cloudmist Peak and asked him to look out for Xiao Qing, whose family had been slaughtered and whose thirst for vengeance troubled his master.
• Qin Lian learned that Yuan Tianhe was stepping down because of his declining strength and discussed Dao bodies, True Persons, and the long lives of Yang Spirits.
• Liu Xu and Cloudmist Peak's disciples and elders welcomed Qin Lian as a Heaven Ranking grandmaster, then held formal ceremonies to report his achievement to the ancestral shrine.
• Qin Lian declined to inherit the peak master's position or take disciples, explaining that he had joined the sect's council of elders and become Library Pavilion master.
• Qin Lian stayed at Cloudmist Peak for a day, then packed and left for the Library Pavilion on the main peak.

Qin Lian moved into the Library Pavilion and focused on cultivation, perfecting the Blood-Burning Sword Art and gaining control of its blood-burning trait. At Cloudmist Peak’s succession ceremony, he accepted Xu Hailong as deputy sect master to manage the Taibai Sword Sect while he cultivated.

• Shangguan Bowen appointed Qin Lian as Library Pavilion master and arranged improved quarters, staff, and a practice ground for him.
• Qin Lian practiced the Blood-Burning Sword Art until he perfected it, activating a trait that let him control an explosive surge of blood and qi.
• Qin Lian judged that his speed and new blood-burning trait gave him a strong chance against an ordinary third-grade grandmaster, then continued cultivating his qi and sword forms.
• At Cloudmist Peak’s succession ceremony, Liu Xu became peak master, and Li Wangxu introduced Qin Lian to three candidates for deputy sect master of the Taibai Sword Sect.
• Qin Lian left the choice to Li Wangxu, who selected Xu Hailong; Xu promised to handle the Taibai Sword Sect’s affairs and establish its position in Mount Tai Prefecture within two years.

Qin Lian perfected the Pure Yang Qi Refining Art, reached the third rank, and discovered that mastering certain methods could grant him Dao-body traits, prompting him to pursue cultivation more seriously. After another year of training plans took shape, Lin Yuyan arrived with a Jade Nectar Returning-Truth Pill and asked him for instruction, saying her family’s survival depended on earning a place among the Heavenly-Ranked Grandmasters.

• Qin Lian perfected the Pure Yang Qi Refining Art, shaped astral qi into armor, and increased his aptitude from 50 to 53.
• Qin Lian discovered that he could gradually activate fire spirit and pure Yang Dao-body traits by mastering related methods, so he searched the library for pure Yang manuals.
• Qin Lian chose the Rising Sun One-Qi Formula for qi refinement and the Liuhe Duzun Sword Art for sword practice after perfecting the Nine Heavens Sword Forms and activating a swordsmanship trait.
• Lin Yuyan visited Qin Lian and offered him a Jade Nectar Returning-Truth Pill as an apology.
• Lin Yuyan asked Qin Lian to give her instruction, explaining that her Lin Family’s life or death depended on her becoming a Heavenly-Ranked Grandmaster.

Lin Yuyan challenged Qin Lian, hoping to use a clash with a Heaven Ranking Grandmaster to build her reputation and secure her family’s future outside court control. Qin Lian recognized the strategy, but Lin Yuyan attacked anyway, using her Liuhe Duzun Sword Art and Nine Heavens Embracing the Moon movement technique to evade his Blood-Burning Sword Art.

• Lin Yuyan asked Qin Lian for guidance, explaining that her persecuted family needed to turn from the court toward the sects, but Qin Lian refused and questioned her motives.
• Lin Yuyan admitted that she would press the challenge despite the risk, while Qin Lian inferred that Purple Cloud Peak hoped to gain prestige from their fight.
• Lin Yuyan drew her sword and attacked Qin Lian with the perfected Liuhe Duzun Sword Art.
• Qin Lian activated the Blood-Burning Sword Art and struck with the Nine Heavens Sword Forms, but Lin Yuyan evaded his attack using Nine Heavens Embracing the Moon.
• Lin Yuyan declared that she would use her sword art and movement technique to break Qin Lian’s Blood-Burning Sword Art.

Qin Lian defeated Lin Yuyan after she challenged him, then accepted Purple Cloud Peak’s apology and compensation instead of crippling her cultivation. Xie Caixia promised him ten portions of Enlightenment Tea, and Lin Yuyan was taken away to recover.

• Lin Yuyan used the Liuhe Duzun Sword Art and Nine Heavens Embracing the Moon to evade Qin Lian, but he overwhelmed her with his speed and sword force.
• Qin Lian shattered Lin Yuyan’s sword and stopped his finishing blow when someone pleaded for mercy, though the released force sent her flying and left her injured.
• Yan Nangui apologized for his disciple, and Xie Caixia asked Qin Lian to spare Lin Yuyan because expulsion and crippled cultivation would leave her with no future.
• Yan Nangui offered Enlightenment Tea, but Qin Lian demanded ten portions as compensation for the offense against a Heaven Ranking Grandmaster.
• Xie Caixia agreed to deliver ten portions of Enlightenment Tea and promised to bring Lin Yuyan back to apologize after she recovered; Qin Lian let them take her away.